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Boulder Daily Camera did on our founder

When Jerry Howard came out of high school he wanted nothing more than to play college football, even though he stood all of 5-foot-6 and weighed 150 pounds.

"That's not what you'd consider 'Division-anything' talent," Howard said. "But I wanted to play."

Howard, who grew up in Cupertino, Calif., was able to fulfill his dream by going to California's De Anza Junior College and then walking on at Long Beach State.

More than 20 years later, Howard set up a nonprofit organization in Erie to help kids realize athletic dreams similar to his.

Through his Biokats Sports Network, Howard has been organizing prep football combines around Colorado for three years and has expanded it to baseball and, now, to girls basketball.

"I started this company to help kids," Howard said. "I wish I had this kind of teaching when I was a kid. ... There are a lot of kids who slip through the cracks."

Athletes from around the region can come together in one place and showcase their talents in front of college coaches.

His first-ever girls basketball showcase will be April 14-15 at Legacy High School and his next football combine will be May 10 at the University of Colorado. A baseball showcase is scheduled for May 21 at a to-be-determined location. If his organization continues to grow, he plans to add other sports.

One reason for starting a girls basketball combine was to help those who don't star on their AAU teams. Less-used players often go unnoticed, but can play in college somewhere. At Howard's combine, everyone will play and have equal time on the court so coaches can evaluate the players.

He also holds regional football combines around the state and puts athletes through drills modeled after the NFL combine.

Fairview football coach Tom McCartney supports the combines, but wants the athletes to know that they have to train for the combine to make them worthwhile. Athletes must train specifically for the tests that will be conducted at the combines.

"It's a great opportunity to be seen," McCartney said. "They can help you, but they can also hurt you if you're not prepared."

At Howard's baseball combines, he uses pro scouts to draw up evaluations on players.

Howard's company simplifies the recruiting process for college coaches and helps students have more chances to get noticed.

Coaches who are on a limited budget can make one trip to Colorado to see the state's talent rather than make several trips here during a year for games or tournaments. Athletes no longer have to travel out-of-state to attend a showcase event.

While high-profile athletes may not need help getting noticed by college coaches, there are many athletes who are good enough to play Division I athletics who oftentimes end up at the Division II level. Howard's goal is to help change that trend. Also, for those who don't know what their options are, he hopes to help them find places to play, even if it's at the Division III or NAIA level.

His combines attract coaches from major Division I schools to coaches at the NAIA level. Coaches who can't attend a combine have access to Howard's Web site and reports on the athletes. Those reports are available to the athletes, as well, so they know where they stand and which skills they need to improve.

During these combines, parents and athletes can attend seminars on the recruiting process, too.

"Our education program helps kids learn about how to help themselves do it without a recruiting service," Howard said.

Howard moved to the Boulder area in 1998 with some friends to work for a software company during the "dot com" boom. One of his projects was a training software package for high school kids, which led to his combine interests.

"I saw some good talent," Howard said, "and they weren't getting recruited at all."

Howard also started the Colorado Performance Academy, which provides personal training programs for athletes, and is based in the Spot, a bouldering gym in Boulder.

He trains every kind of athlete, such as skiers, pitchers, football players and runners. His most notable local prep athlete was Niwot's Sean Ratliff, a hard-throwing left-hander who is at Stanford. Sean went through Howard's Baseball combine.

But Howard also has situations where someone from, say, Basalt, who would otherwise have trouble getting recruited, has gone on to earn a college scholarship and has a shot at being a punter in the NFL.

"To me, it's stories like that which make our program unique," Howard said. "That's why we do it. I know what it's like and so I can help these kids."

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